Love Is In The Air
by Pink Pal
Summary: Freya is being chased by Bounty Hunters again! She flees to Camelot where she is reuinted with her love Merlin, who is overjoyed to see her! However, Uther, Arthur, and the Bouny Hunters are searching for her, and she is in danger. So Merlin sets out to deal with the Bounty Hunters, however there's more to them than meets the eye...
1. Chapter 1, Free Freya

**Love Is In The Air**

**This is a short, but sweet story of Merlin and Freya. Freya, a young druid girl with a dark secret (she is cursed with turning into a Bastet at midnight) flees a group of Bounty Hunters to Camelot where she is reunited with her love Merlin. Merlin promises her he will protect her from the Bounty Hunters, so he sets out to destroy them. But there is more to the Bounty Hunters than meets the eye...**

**This story is especially for my younger sister, Marie, as she loves Freya so I thought I would write this story specially for her as well as all you guys and gals! I also love this couple, I mean, COME ON! THEY'RE PERFECT FOR EACHOTHER AND LOOK SO CUTE TOGTHER (I shed a tear). Anyways, I hope you all enjoy the story and please do comment your opinions!**

**Chapter 1: Free Freya**

"YOU! STOP!" demanded a tall, bulky bald man with fierce green eyes, who was dressed in a grey wolf skin coat. He and his three other men, who were also tall and bulky and wearing grey wolf skin coats, were chasing a young teenage druid girl. The girl was Freya, an unfortunate victim of the Bastet curse, a vile enchantment that transformed her at the stroke of midnight into a Bastet, a large, vicious, man-eating monster resembling a panther with bat-like wings. This is what caused her to be chased by so many Bounty Hunters. Freya had received the curse when she killed a woman's son when he attacked her, but she had only killed the man in self defence! However, the man's mother had failed to see reason, and so had avenged her son by cursing Freya to turn into a Bastet every midnight. Freya truly despised what she was. She had been desperately attempting to rid herself of the evil spell for years, however her efforts had been futile each time.

The pitch-black night sky hung heavy above with the stars beating against the dim black blankets and the moon grasping onto the sky, desperate not to release it. Freya could feel her thighs starting to seize in all the hard work they were being forced through. Thick layers of sticky sweat formed across Freya's forehead and cheeks, which had now turned as red as roses. Freya was heading for Camelot, as she knew it was the only place she was safe...as long as Merlin was there. Freya smiled dreamily as she remembered her last encounter with Merlin. How he had freed her from her cage, hid her in the underground tunnels, and visited her every day with food for her. Merlin had been so generous to her, he was also the only person who did not seem to hate her or fear her for being a Bastet. It was this that had brought them so close together, so close in fact, that it had been...Freya snapped out of her daydream, the Bounty Hunters were hot on her heels. She needed to escape them, and fast!

Fortunately, she noticed the Camelot Castle growing closer to her from beyond the packed tree branches. Relief swept through her. "Don't worry, you'll be safe with Merlin soon!" she assured herself. "Just give up will you?! You'll get a stitch or a pulled muscle if you don't rest! Just stop running for three seconds!" pleaded one of the men. Freya ignored him. They were just trying to trick her so they could capture her! She wouldn't give up now, not when she was so close to safety!

Using all her remaining energy to quicken her speed, Freya sprinted through Camelot's entrance and across the courtyard, glancing around for any signs of Merlin. There were none. "Oh Merlin, where are you?!" she cried. Gaius heard someone call Merlin's name, so he turned round to see who it could be. He was shocked when he noticed Freya. Sensing by her facial expressions that she was in danger, Gaius ran up to her. "Freya?" he asked in a surprised tone. Freya spun round and rolled her eyes when she saw the old man stood before her. She never recalled seeing him before. "Who are you?" she questioned, suspiciously. "I'm Merlin's guardian, Gaius." answered Gaius, wondering why she did not know who he was if she knew Merlin. "Merlin? Have you seen him? Take me to him, please! I beg you! I must see him now!" she pleaded. "Alright, he's in Arthur's chambers cleaning, I'll take you into our chambers and we'll wait for him to get back, does that sound alright?" suggested Gaius. "Anything! I don't care, I just want to be somewhere safe from these Bounty Hunters who've been chasing me!" she yelled. Gaius nodded and quickly led her inside, before the Bounty Hunters started to cross the courtyard on the lookout for Freya.


	2. Chapter 2, Merlin's Mate

**Chapter 2: Merlin's Mate**

"Those are nasty wounds you've got Freya! Here, let me treat them for you." offered Gaius, wandering over to a shelf stacking hundreds of bottles of treatments. "No I'll be fine, they'll heal. When's Merlin coming back?" she asked. "He should be returning soon, it depends on how much work he has to do...which is usually alot!" replied Gaius, starting to prepare the tea. Freya giggled. Poor Merlin, he always has so much to do, and he never gets any breaks! "I'm sure you're feeling hungry, am I right Freya?" asked Gaius. Freya grinned with relief. "No, I'm starving!" she answered, rubbing her stomach as it rumbled like thunder. Gaius chuckled. "Well then you'll be having most of Merlin's food then!" he laughed. Freya shook her head. "You're mean!" she commented, sitting at the table. The two laughed.

"MERLIN!" called Arthur, impatiently. Merlin groaned and followed Arthur's voice to find him standing outside his room, which Merlin had been cleaning all afternoon. "Where do you think you're going?" asked Arthur, looking annoyed. "Back to my chambers to rest after yet another day of cleaning your impossible chambers!" explained Merlin. Arthur shook his head. "Come in here." he ordered. Merlin followed him into his chambers. The floor was spotless and shimmering in the light like stars, the bed was neat and cosy-looking, and the curtains were squeaky clean. Merlin glanced at Arthur, a puzzled expression on his face. "What's the matter?" he questioned. Arthur pointed at his bed leg. Merlin peered closely at it. There was a small, round hole carved into the wood. "Woodlice!" growled Arthur angrily. "Are you sure your bed isn't just getting old like you are?" said Merlin, grinning cheekily. "It is not funny, Merlin! If you don't find those woodlice and get rid of them, there'll be nothing left of my bed left to sleep in! Where will I sleep then?!" yelled Arthur. "With Gwen?" suggested Merlin. Arthur rolled his eyes at him. "Find those woodlice and kill them, I don't care how you do it! Or, you'll be spending the entire day in the stocks tommorow!" demanded Arthur, sternly. "I best get looking then!" gasped Merlin. Arthur sighed heavily and left his chambers. Merlin groaned again. "GREAT!" he said to himself, "Even more work! It's my lucky day!".

"I thought you said Merlin would be back soon! But you said that ages ago!" complained Freya. "I know, I thought he would be. Perhaps he's having a bit of trouble. I'll look for him, you stay here and keep an eye on the tea, and don't answer the door to anyone! If someone knocks, hide! You can't be seen, or the king will have you killed! Just stay here and keep quiet! I'll be back soon, I promise! He can't have gone far!" warned Gaius, as he left the chambers, closing the door behind him. Freya frowned. "I hope Merlin's alright!" she prayed to herself.

The door to Arthur's chambers creaked open. Merlin rolled as his eyes as he expected it to be Arthur, however when he turned round, he realized it was a different person. "Gaius!" he cheered, climbing to his feet. "Merlin, what are you doing? You were supposed to be back ages ago! What's wrong?" asked Gaius. Merlin frowned. "Woodlice." he sighed. Gaius raised his eyebrows. "Woodlice?" he repeated in question. "Arthur wants me to find to find them before they completely demolish his bed! I did suggest him sleeping with Gwen, but..." explained Merlin. "Merlin!" gasped Gaius at him being so rude. "Sorry, I can't help it, I'm bored out my mind here!" apologized Merlin. "Merlin, you need rest! You've been working all day! Besides, there's someone at our chambers who's eager to see you!" said Gaius. Merlin narrowed his eyes. "Really? Who?" he asked curiously. "It's Freya." he revealed. Merlin gawped at him, his eyes filling with tears of joy. "F-F-Freya? She wants to...she wants to see...me?" gasped Merlin. Gaius nodded, chuckling as Merlin fled the room to head for their chambers.

Freya was about to get up and go looking for Merlin herself, when the door flung open and a thrilled Merlin stormed through it. "M-M-Merlin!" breathed Freya. The two dashed up to each other and threw their arms around one another, one pressing against the other's body, creating a warm air between the two lovers. "I thought I'd never see you again!" sobbed Merlin, his face shining with tears. "I thought the same for you! I've been running from these Bounty Hunters who were chasing me! I fled here because I knew it would be the only place I'd be safe, as you're here! I'm so relieved I found you!" wept Freya, her heart swelling with happiness. "Bounty Hunters? What Bounty Hunters? What did they look like? Tell me and I will stop them from ever finding you here!" promised Merlin, his eyes flashing with fury. "And reveal your magic to everyone?" gasped Freya. "If it means saving you, I'll do it!" concluded Merlin, gritting his teeth viciously. "No Merlin! Don't! You can't just storm at some Bounty Hunters and use your magic on them! It's too risky! There must be another way!" declined Gaius, who had just walked through the door. "There is no other way! It's now or never, Gaius! Wouldn't you do the same for Alice if she was in this situation? I'm sure you would, so I'm going to do it! And there's nothing you can do or say that will stop me! Just you watch me, I'll teach them a lesson they will never forget!" hissed Merlin, charging out of the door before Freya or Gaius could stop him.


	3. Chapter 3, The Bounty Hunters

**Chapter 3: The Bounty Hunters **

King Uther Pendragon glanced at the four Bounty Hunters kneeling before him. They certainly looked like men who were not to be messed around with, with muscles as bulky as theirs' and eyes as sharp and furious as theirs' were! But Uther wasn't intersted in how they looked, he wanted to know why men like them were in Camelot instead of hunting for magical animals, which was their job.

"Greetings, Bounty Hunters! What brings you to Camelot?" asked Uther, intrigued to find out the answer. The three men stood up and faced the king, with anxious expressions on their faces. "My lord...we apologize for charging into your kingdom so suddenly, but we have an escapee. An escapee, who, we believe, is hiding from us here, in this kingdom of yours'!" explained the shortest man, who had long hazel hair that ran down his back in a drooping ponytail, and piercing chocolate brown eyes. Uther frowned heavily. He knew this wasn't going to be good news! "And who is this escapee?" questioned Uther, guessing in his mind that it was a magical creature of some kind. "It is Freya, the Druid girl who cursed with the Bastet enchantment!" answered the man with tamer brown eyes and shorter hazel hair than the man who has spoke before him. Uther immediately sprang to his feet in fury. "HER AGAIN! HOW COULD YOU LET HER ESCAPE INTO CAMELOT!" he shrieked, his eyes blazing. Arthur jumped at the sudden change of tone in his voice, and wanted his father to calm down before he started throwing people in the castle dungeons again. "Father, please, calm yourself! These men lost her by accident, they didn't WANT her to escape in Camelot! Shouting won't help us find this Freya girl, I'll send my men to search for her right away, don't worry, we'll find her soon!" assured Arthur. "Be certain you do! The girl's dangerous! Remember that last time she was here she killed many innocent people, I will not allow such brutality to happen again in my kindom! Once you find her, you must execute her before she can cause any more damage!" instructed Uther. Arthur, although unconfident about murdering a once peaceful girl who had been cruelly cursed to become a monster, nodded in agreement and left the room to find his men and pass on his father's orders to them. The four Bounty Hunters grinned evilly after him, with their backs turned to Uther so he could not see them.


	4. Chapter 4, Bad Bounty Hunters

**Chapter 4: Bad Bounty Hunters**

**I know this is a long chapter, but so much happens here! Please note there is some gore involved and a few deaths, so if you hate gore and people dying, skip onto the next chapter! Thankyou!**

Merlin dashed through the castle down the narrow, winding corridoors past all the chambers which seemed to all be deserted. The moon light poured through the stained glass windows, lighting up the castle whilst the silvery stars just randomly scattered themselves about for decoration to make the blackness of the night skies look attractive.

Merlin was pumped up and prepared to take the Bounty Hunters full on! He felt desperate to destroy them before they found Freya and took her away. "THOSE BOUNTY HUNTERS ARE DEAD!" his mind yelled. Suddenly, as he sprinted round a corner he noticed four muscular men approaching him. Surprised at their sudden apperance, Merlin skidded to a halt and faced the four Bounty Hunters, who all rolled their eyes at him in menacing glares that made Merlin feel intimidated. "In a rush are we, boy?" asked the smallest one, smirking smugly. Merlin didn't know how to reply. "Errrrrrmmmm..." he began, his voice breaking. The four men burst out laughing. "Well you should be scared of us! Especially if you're hiding the Druid Girl!" commented the smaller than the tall man but taller than the middle man, Hunter. They all stopped laughing and started eyeing him up and down suspiciously. The tallest man wandered threatingly up to Merlin and started to circle him. Merlin gulped loudly, causing the man who was circling him to chuckle darkly. "Tell me, my good young man. Do you know anyone called Freya?" asked the man. "No, I've never met anyone called Freya before!" lied Merlin, trying to sound confident although his voice was shattering away. "Are you sure about that, sir?" questioned the tallest man, as he grasped both sides of Merlin's face and tipped his head back. "Because if you're lying to me, then I promise you I won't make your life worth living at all! Infact, I could break you into thousands of tiny pieces right here, right now! All you have to do, is tell me if you have her or not, and tell me the truth! If you do tell me the truth, I won't snap your neck in half! Plus, if you do have Freya, I will give you all the gold you could ever wish for and need to become richer than the king of this castle himself, in exchange for her! However, if you lie to me, then I will kill you, if not, seriously injure you! And if you don't have the girl, then me and my friends here will just have a bit of fun with you and then leave you alone forever to get on with your worthless life! So, I shall ask again, for the last time, do you know anyone called Freya?" repeated the man. "I'm never going to tell a brute like you!" refused Merlin, lashing his leg forward and kneeing the man in his groind. Crying in pain, the man collapsed onto the ground, clutching his groind which was stinging with immense pain as rolled around sobbing bitterly. "HEY!" screeched the middle sized man, charging full speed at a deturmined Merlin. As the man approached Merlin, his eyes glew a luminous gold, sending Merlin flying into the wall across the other side of the corridoor! HE HAD MAGIC!

Merlin scrambled to his feet, gawping at the four men stood before him, thier eyes all glowing gold. Merlin's face paled till it was as white as fresh snow. This couldn't possibily be true! Bounty Hunters weren't sourcerers! "W-W-Who are y-y-you?" he spluttered. The smallest man grinned wickedly. "You do not know? We are the the cousins of the man who was horrifically slortered by that evil beast called Freya! We have come to claim our revenge on his awful death by hunting the girl down and torturing her till she can no longer breathe or see the light! You know where she is, don't you?" asked the smallest man, looking like some sort of animal preparing to pounce. "I won't let any of you hurt her!" cried Merlin. The men all laughed again. "And what are you going to do about it? You're nothing but a serving boy, a mortal! What could someone like you do to someone powerful like us?" shouted the middle-sized man. "Watch me." growled Merlin, his eyes glowing gold. The four men yelped in shock as they were sent soaring through the air. Once on the ground, they all leapt to their feet and gasped at Merlin. THE SERVING BOY HAD MAGIC!

"So, you have magical talents of your own? Impressive, I must say! Especially for a serving boy! Who would've guessed it?" declared the averagely sized man. "Why fight us though when we are from the same kind as you are? You should be helping us! Not attacking us! We apologize for treating you so badly and threatning you in such a blood-thirsty manner! If we knew you were a sourcerer, we'd have never done any of those things we did to you! Please forgive us!" apologized the shortest man. "Now then, time to get down to buisness! We're offerring you a choice, boy! Help us find Freya, and our RICH family members will award you with ANYTHING you want! Or, refuse to aid us, and die! The choice is yours', so choose wisely!" offered the tallest man. Merlin didn't have to think about it. He wasn't going to give Freya up to these monsters of men! "NEVER!" he screamed, his eyes lighting up with gold. The men were tossed into the walls surrounding them. The tallest and the average-sized men both broke their necks from the impact, killing them. The smallest and middle-sized men furiously stood up and cast their spells together as one enitity at Merlin, which was a screeching ruby-red fire ball packed full of magnificent power! Merlin remeained calm and used his own spell to block the attack and send it back at the men, however the shortest one had reactions wuick enough to duck down. Unfortunately, the other man was hit by the ball, and he exploded into a pile of smokey ashes!

The shortest man weakly climbed to his feet and glared with pure hatred at Merlin, who was now starting to worry. The man opened his mouth and to Merlin's disguist, a scaley cobra slipped out and slithered across the floor towards a trembling Merlin. The shortest man cackled with evil delight as the cobra hissed angrily at Merlin. Suddenly Merlin heard footsteps hurrying up towards him. "MERLIN LOOK OUT!" warned Arthur, drawing his sword. Merlin dived out of the way as Arthur slashed his sword at the cobra, cleanly slicing its head off and sending blood splattering everywhere, even covering Merlin! "NO!" bawled the final Bounty Hunter, as Arthur raced at him. However, the Huntsman used his magic once again to snatch Arthur's sword off him. Arthur screamed in pain as his own sword was swiped through his side, tearing through his shirt and ripping out some of his skin! Arthur gasped for air as he fell to the floor, his hands and arms crimson with the blood spilling out of his sides! "ARTHUR!" cried Merlin. The Bounty Hunter sent the sword flipping through the air to Merlin, who was about to cast another enchantment until Freya suddenly appeared out of thin air and stood infront of Merlin protectively. Merlin screeched in terror as the sword flung into Freya's chest, the blade passing through her heart. Merlin caught her as she fell over.

"Why did you do that Freya? Why why why? I could have used my magic!" breathed Merlin, in shock. "I sensed you were in danger during my sleep in your chambers, so I got out of your bed and sneaked out past Gaius who was asleep! I was eager to find you, I didn't care if I was seen or not! You mean too much to me Merlin, to ever abandon! I love you with all my heart! I always have done and I always will!" explained Freya, her eyes gazing dreamily into Merlin's watery ones. "I love you too, Freya! Oh please please don't leave me! Not again! I've missed you greatly since you left, and you haven't been back for long! We could've done so much together! We could've fled from here and been free to go to that place with mountains and a lake! The place you love, remember? We could've been happy!" weeped Merlin. Freya used the last of her strength to place her flat palms on Merlin's cheeks and whisper to him, "Remember me." Then died in his arms. The love of his life.

Freya...don't go...please...NOOOO!" shrieked Merlin, tears streaming out of his eyes and forming puddles along the floor. He had lost her for a second time, but this time, it was for good. She was dead and there was nothing he could do about it. He felt so ashamed of himself! Why did he not push her aside? Why did he not use his magic quicker in the first place?

Watching Freya die meant that the Bounty Hunter had accomplished his mission, and so he laughed with relief at the death of his enemy. This infuriated Merlin who was about to attempt to use his magic on the blood-thirsty tyrant until Sir Leon creeped up behind the man and stabbed him in the back with his sword, casuing the Hunter to stop laughing and collapse onto the ground, dead. As he should be. Leon nearly cried out in horror as soon as he saw Arthur lying unconcious on the ground in a pool of fresh blood, his side split. Praying he wasn't dead, he lifted the prince off the ground and held him in his arms as if he was a bride. Leon glanced worridly at Merlin and sighed sympathetically when he saw Merlin cradling and crying over Freya, his one true love. Infact, the very sight brought tears to Leon's sensetive eyes. However, he soon shook himself out of it and decided to go and find Gaius so he could treat Arthur before it was too late. He origianlly intended to ask Merlin what had happened, but with Merlin in tears, it was not worth bothering him over such matters. So Leon left for Gaius' chambers with Arthur lying frozen solid like a statue in his arms, barely even breathing.

Merlin kissed Freya on her forehead and stroked her rosey cheeks lovingly. "Goodbye, my sweet angel! I will miss you than more than ever now, but no matter what happens, you'll always be in my heart! I'll never forget you, I promise you! I'll take you to a place with mountains and a lake, and bury you there!" he said softly to her. He then raised her off the floor and carried her away bridal style.


	5. Chapter 5, Remain In My Heart

**Chapter 5: Remain In My Heart**

**WARNING! SAD EVENTS APPROACHING! GET SOME TISSUES IF YOU ARE SUPER SENSETIVE TO FUNERALS!**

Merlin stood back and looked at his work. It looked beautiful. By a gigantick lake where the waves were crystal clear and a delicate shade of blue, and towering fresh green grass covered mountains surrounded the it, Merlin had built a large, white stoned grave with the words, 'Here lies Freya, a free girl who was loved greatly and will be missed gretaly. RIP Freya x." carved into it. Freya was buried deep in the ground underneath it. Merlin started to cry again. He would miss her, truly he would. He had originally promised to protect her, but now, he had broken that promise. Merlin smaked himself across the face, Freya wouldn't want him to get mad with himself like this! What was he doing?! Merlin then remembered the fatal injury that Arthur had recieved during his fight with that one remaining Bounty Hunter, before Leon had killed him. He had to get back to Camelot. Gaius may need Merlin's magic to recover Arthur if none of his potions worked, and Merlin needed to thank Leon for finishing off the final Bounty Hunter anyway. Merlin smiled at Freya's grave one last time, promised to visit it every day to pay his respects, and then left. Cherry blossom fluttered through the passing gentle breeze and covered the white grave stone, making it look pink. Merlin thought of the breeze as Freya's breath, as it soothed him and brought him joy and contentment. He cried again. "You will always remain in my heart..." he breathed.

At Camelot, Arthur was lying on a bed in Gaius' chambers, the bed stained in blood. Gaius had (unwillingly) removed his top and tied several bandages around the long cut that travelled down his side from his breat level to his hip. Arthur was still unconcious and barely breathing. Gaius had assured a petrified Uther, who had visited him earlier to check on Arthur's progress, that he would do everything in his power to relieve Arthur of his injures, although he doubted the prince would survive this. The injury was too fatal for him to deal with, he had hoped Merlin would return soon. He had also been wondering where Freya had gone...

"Sorry Gaius!" apologized Merlin, flinging the door open and entering the chambers to find a distressed Gaius desperately trying to find a potion. "Merlin! Where have you been? Where's Freya gone?" asked Gaius. "I'll explain later! Right now, I have to check on Arthur! Is he recovering?" questioned Merlin. Gaius frowned. "I'm afraid not, his injuries are too severe for me to handle! This is a job for you Merlin!" replied Gaius. Merlin nodded confidently. He stood over Arthur, stripped his bandages off, placed a hand on his injury and whispered, "Ethcay addanay shamee lunthsay windeno ajadayn!" He stood back and waited. Gaius instantly came to his side to wait with him.

After a few moments of awful silence, Arthur started breathing again. The prince had been saved! Merlin and Gaius cheered and hugged eachother. They had saved Arthur once again!

When Arthur woke up, the first thing he did was order Merlin to wash the blood off his top and the blankets. But Merlin still thanked him for TRYING to rescue him! Arthur also told Merlin that he knew the girl he was holding lovingly before he fainted was the Druid girl, and he understood the fact that Merlin had loved her and he swore not to tell anyone, or Merlin would tell everyone about Arthur's love for Guinevere anyway. Merlin thanked Leon and Leon just told Merlin he was glad the Bounty Hunter died.

Camelot was back to its normal, peaceful self once again, and Merlin had calmed down alot about Freya's death, although he was still upset. He'd always be upset about it. He loved her. Gaius had heard the story and was leaving Merlin be, for the time being anyway. Merlin was continuing his life, living every day in Freya's name. He often visited her grave and placed a different flower there every time he visited. And also, that breeze Merlin had imagined was Freya's breath stayed with him, blowing his hair and his clothes everywhere he went. Freya will never be forgotten, not by Merlin!


End file.
